This invention relates to mechanisms for cooling electrical components; and more particularly, it relates to mechanisms for liquid-cooling integrated circuit packages on a printed circuit board without overstressing the board.
In the prior art, integrated circuit packages have been liquid-cooled by providing a plurality of cooling jackets which respectively contact the integrated circuit packages. A liquid coolant passes through the cooling jackets to carry heat away from the integrated circuit packages by conduction. Fluid is supplied to the cooling jackets by means of an input manifold, and fluid is taken from the cooling jackets by means of an output manifold. One such liquid cooling mechanism is shown and described in patent application Ser. No. 108,367 which is entitled "Self-Aligning Liquid-Cooling Assembly".
A problem, however, which the above referenced liquid-cooling mechanism does not address is how to reduce and minimize mechanical stresses in the printed circuit board. Those stresses, as the present application shows, will occur due to certain forces which the cooling jackets exert on the integrated circuit packages. If these stresses are not properly managed and become too large, the printed circuit board can bend to a point where malfunctions start to occur. Specifically, conductors on the board which interconnect the integrated circuit package can break. Also, the thermal conduction that occurs between an integrated circuit package and its cooling jacket can be degraded, causing the integrated circuit packages to heat up and not operate properly.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism for cooling integrated circuit packages on a printed circuit board in which mechanical stress and deflection in the board is greatly reduced.